Akshay on a roll!Akshay on a roll!

The year 2007 clearly belonged to Akshay Kumar and 2008 promises to be no different.

But while last year witnessed Akki at his funniest best in comical avatars, this year will see the superstar reclaim his Action King status. It’s a homecoming of sorts for the Khiladi who’s back to his forte of beating up baddies and performing his signature death-defying stunts after a hiatus of almost four years.

And the actor’s fans have more reasons to rejoice as Akki has not one, but almost four action films under his belt, including Kambaqth Ishq, Rohan Sippy’s Chandni Chowk to China, Vipul Shah’s Singh is Kingg and Yash Chopra’s Tashan.

Talking about the break from his action image, Akshay says, "I just wanted to explore all aspects of the spectrum, right from comedy to emotions and not be slotted in a particular image. What I want to do is entertain. But action is always closer to heart. After all, action does speak louder than words, doesn’t it?"
So, did he miss doing action in all the years? "No, my son made sure I get enough of it," laughs Akki referring to son Aarav who keeps his ‘daadaa’ on toes. On a serious note he adds, "I keep myself fit as action needs a very high standard of concentration and strength, so I have not really been away from it. But, of course, sometimes you miss being the tough guy who can dishum dishum the world."

And though the actor confesses that being a family man does make him think twice before performing any stunt, he’s not wary of going in for any daredevilry. "It’s action that has made me what I am today and the show must go on. We are entertainers after all, right?" he quips. Was it difficult getting back to action? "Nah, not really! Don’t forget my middle name, before King was Khiladi. Action is in my blood," says the actor. "Action may have evolved manifold, but at the core it still remains the same!"

Talking about the sea change he’s witnessed in the past few years, Akki says, "The boys are men now and this is where the tough get going. So you need to be really fit to pull of daredevil stunts. We are being watched and compared to the best, so we better be up to it." And what does he find more difficult making people laugh or doing scary stunts? "A stunt is when you compete with yourself. You are in control, but in comedy, your performance depends on your audience, so I would say comedy is more difficult." Are there any actors he looks up to? "Tom and Jerry! They’re good at both action and comedy. I don’t think anyone can beat them," pat comes the reply.

Aakanksha Naval Shetye, TNN